Ford crashes new Focus, results "Good"
Ford sent the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) the results of its internal crash tests of the 2008 Focus, and in five out of six criteria, the "new" sedan scored a "Good" rating. Head/neck, chest and foot protection was all above average, as were the restraint systems used on the dummies. The only place the tests weren't "Good" were in the structure/safety cage ratings, which came in at average. Since no part of the structure was significantly changed for the new model year, it's pretty much what we, and the Institute, expected. Independent verification will be available once the IIHS does its own battery of tests in the future. No word on whether the Focus looked better before or after the wreck.
[Source: IIHS]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Roman 9:08AM (10/19/2007)
That's the Ford Focus you guys get?
God am I glad we don't get that! Much prefer the Euro Focus over that.
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Torqued 9:42AM (10/19/2007)
Aw come on. Rub it in why don't ya?
Puter 9:51AM (10/19/2007)
Without a viable Fit/Yaris class car in the USA, Ford has to keep this cheap so they can compete in the bargain basement crowd... meanwhile, Honda and Toyota keep moving the Civic and Corolla upmarket.
nissanfreak87 11:56AM (10/19/2007)
boooo!! We want the Euro Focus, but apparently Ford hates us and will never give it to us, they just give us some piece of crap instead.
Mr. Oak 1:28PM (10/19/2007)
Alright whiners, first of all the people that are going to end up buying this car, don't know or care that the Euro-Focus even exists.
There is more to the pricing of the cars than just a straight currency conversion. Hell you don't have to look any further than at our country cousins to the north to understand that. All car companies totally screws the Canadians.
Just the thought that this PoS costing $36K makes my teeth chatter. You can actually get into an '08 CTS for that kind of coin.
DJ 9:09AM (10/19/2007)
Good job Ford, keep up the good work. Now if you can manage to crash test the whole production run, you can save us from having to see this vile design on public roads.
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RIFRAF 7:43PM (10/19/2007)
That thing is butt-ugly...
JayP 9:10AM (10/19/2007)
Ford Focus for 2008: "It hits things good!"
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Johnnie 9:24AM (10/19/2007)
I can't help but wonder if the crashed Focus looked better visually after the crash than it did before?
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Guenther 9:28AM (10/19/2007)
We get the CHEAP focus here in the US. The Euro (new) Focus would end up being insignificantly cheaper than the Fusion is here, so we make due with the old car... not getting any prettier, is it.
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k.w.a 9:30AM (10/19/2007)
"No word on whether the Focus looked better before or after the wreck."
HAHAHA
The new Focus' design isn't really all THAT atrocious (ok, yes it is) but I think the main problem is that the styling is very outdated. I could see this being an '01 Ford Escort more than an '08 Ford focus
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Devin 9:33AM (10/19/2007)
Honestly Autoblog, the new Focus does not look that bad. It looks sooo much better than the design it replaces, but just because we don't currently have the euro focus doesn't mean that this one looks horrible. Sure, the side vents are very cliché, and the 2 bar grill thing doesn't really fit with the car, but it is still an improvement over the last gen in exterior and interior design.
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sk 9:41AM (10/19/2007)
Honestly it does look that bad. For a company in financial turmoil every new model has to be top notch in design, reliability and price. Ford just can't afford to drop another turd like the Taurus aka 500. Mullally, please cancel this turd and bring over the Euro-Focus.
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naggs 12:44PM (10/19/2007)
you know, i have been ragging on how ugly the new focus is too but i saw one in person recently and i gotta say, its not that bad.
my main problem has always been the lack of a hatch and no 2.3
nissanfreak87 1:14PM (10/19/2007)
I agree sk, the car is terrible, when I saw it at Detroit there was NOTHING I liked about the car. I don't see how a professional designer could even think of something this bad. It makes me sad that I'm half-way associated with that guy.
Tagg 9:46AM (10/19/2007)
Its not the best looking car by any means but its hardly the worst either. I like this better than the Cobalt with its Corvette wannabe rear lights and 10 cent interior or the Caliber and its 5 cent interior. In fact I have read many reports where they say the car drives much better than the previous version which was very good to begin with. Many articles say this car is the 3rd best option out there behind the Civic (it will be a long time until it gets unseated) and Sentra.
It may be a bit ugly but its a good, cheap car with some clever options.
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Bob-omb 11:28AM (10/19/2007)
I can't believe I'm defending the Cobalt, but its interior is so much better than the new Focus's it's not even funny. At least you can tell the difference between the radio and the A/C without peering at a bunch of identically sized and positioned buttons. Buttons that are gray. On a tan background. The interior is a nightmare.
3cubed minus 3squared plus1 12:01PM (10/19/2007)
The Cobalt's interior is not all that great. I have a friend with a 06 Cobalt and the interior color is already chipping and going back to being black. My 01 Focus has kept up better than his Cobalt.
DavidM 12:15PM (10/19/2007)
I dont see what all the crying is about, everything about the car is nice to me, except the nose, it is too low and narrow. I wish it didn't sink down and stayed or taller.
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paul watson 10:52PM (10/19/2007)
The new focus looks just like a civic that has better interior yet it get's dissed on.The taurus is all around a better car then the camry and accord at a far better price and ford is atop the quality rating over both .I don't know of to many people who hot lap a taurus or camry on the weekends.You can get a all wheel drive taurus cheaper then either the camry or accord and it looks a whole lot better.Kia's small cars are the ugliest on the road but get praised.Toyota's tundra is GOD awful in the looks dept with relibality a big big question with the cam shaft failures.American cars look as good or better then some of the stuff from over sea's The focus is a good people mover with desent looks and a great value.The fusion is a way better car then anything else in its class.Call it fair or don't call it at all
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